Patch Launches New Initiative: Dispatches: The Changing American Dream

We're excited announce a new series for our Patch readers: Dispatches: The Changing American Dream.

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to social and economic changes in ou country. The pace of change is dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities.

At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there's one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams that a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills.

We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovate, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the purely local level, we want to know where we, as Shelby Township and Utica neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

Nationally, there's a debate about which government-building efforts are "shovel-ready." Locally, we're trying to attract

Nationally, there's a debate about the education system, which is at the center of our dreams of a better life for our children. Locally, we are dealing with .

Dispatches will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots we unearth across all of our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in Shelby Township and Utica go to the heart of your American Dream. Email your story ideas to Editor Maria Cracchiolo at Marina.Cracchiolo@patch.com, or put them in comments below.